PHIL UN3751

Foundations of modern political philosophy

There are six topics covered over the semester (authority, rights, equality, liberty, justice, democracy). All you have to do is purchase one $30 coursebook. The lectures and readings complement each other nicely. Sidorsky takes attendance, although no one knows if this means anything. Each class topic has 2-5 readings, none of which were book-length. Relatively easy...I kept up with the readings for the first half of the class and did all of the second semester readings during reading week (not recommended). No other homework, only an in-class midterm and final. Even the philosophy majors were knocked on their asses by the tests. Half of the class didn't finish within time limits, and the questions are interesting but difficult to study for (asking for your opinion on a subject instead of a summary). I got a B+ on both tests even though I have little prior knowledge of philosophy. Grades ranged from B- to A. Sidorsky isn't as harsh with grades as you'd think an older professor would be, and he bumped everyone up by a couple points as well.

Basic evolusion of liberalism, socialism.

One weekend afternoon, Professor Sidorsky sits two feet away from me at Tom's counter. He has to know that I'm a student of his, right? No one else is at the counter. People say he's afflicted with terrible eyesight but I did raise my hand once or twice in class. Even if he doesn't remember anything else about me, I'm still wearing the same stupid jacket that I always wear in the third row. He orders the exact same thing I'm eating. What the hell is he getting at? Is he getting at something? We sit together in silence. I keep glancing over, hoping to make eye contact. He smiles at the waiter but never looks in my direction. Can I tap him on the shoulder? I'm afraid he'll break. Sidorsky takes 30 minutes to hobble across College Walk. They say he used to be a famously liberal scholar but I worry that he doesn't want to talk to a lowly non-philosophy undergrad on his time off. And don't old people want to wait before being spoken to? I don't know. I don't know. One time I told him that he was miscategorizing anarchism and he didn't end the conversation but didn't really respond to me either. I take out my cellphone and pretend to look busy. I don't want to go through that again. He wrote a funny comment on my midterm and called one response "interesting." It was my favorite course of the semester so far and it could only go down from there.

I learn the foundations of philosophical politics.

Sidorsky let the class choose between either a midterm/final or a paper. My class chose the tests.

It wasn't until I began studying for the midterm exam that I realized how much I liked this class. That sounds like a really strange backwards compliment, but hear me out. Yes, Sidorsky is very old, yes, he can barely see, and yes he tends to move through the material rather slowly. As a result, some people gchat throughout class, some fall asleep, and some just don't bother showing up. But despite his slow pace, or perhaps because of it, Sidorsky presents concepts clearly and extremely organized. It's clear that he has been teaching this forever, and it pays off. Reviewing my notes, I realized how much I had learned, and I loved how organized and clear my notes were- a direct result of Sidorsky's lecturing style. If you are interested in political philosophy, I would recommend this class to you. But if you prefer fast-paced, discussion-based classes, you probably won't love this prof.

Not much reading and not necessary at all. Really long, arduous midterm and final. An ungraded paper. By no means an easy A.

I pretty much developed an overview understanding of the philosophical works we covered this semester.

I loved this class, especially because I took it alongside CC. I would frequently use the information on the philosophers in this class that overlapped and sound extremely insightful in CC discussion. I did absolutely no work in the class. I just came to class, listened, and took notes. At the same time, the midterm and finals were absolutely beastly. I couldn't finish either one on time and I wrote more on them than I've ever written in my life. I also don't think it was an easy A at all. I really did buckle down to study for the tests, and I couldn't manage to get any higher than a B+. The thing is, I really don't think going over the readings would have helped at all.